Computing optimal trajectories for a tethered pursuer

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a trajectory planning problem for a marsupial robotics system consisting of a ground robot, a drone, and a taut tether of bounded length connecting the two robots. This problem can be framed within the context of a pursuit-evasion game. Using a geometric modeling approach, we present an optimal algorithm to compute a minimum-link path for the pursuer (ground robot), given the known path of the evader (drone). Furthermore, we address and solve three related geometric optimization problems, leveraging the intrinsic connections between them.